Just my humble ramblings of childhood memories, thoughts and desires, wishes and hopes, and most importantly my relationship with Jesus, who opened the door for me to know my Maker, my Heavenly Father.

Monday, December 15, 2008

The Jealousy and Love of My God

My Lord is jealous for His people. He is enthralled with their beauty. Each creation with it's own beauty. His view is not distorted like yours and mine is. He sees each of us as a mother sees her newborn baby after giving birth. All gross and icky out of the womb... that mother only sees her beautiful child and is enthralled with his/her beauty. He wants us... no my God is not selfish. He is selfless. How then can He be jealous for me? He is my Father, my Master. I belong to Him already. He only wants what is His to being with. Yet, I run so far away from Him. “How often I wanted to gather your[Jerusalem's] children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" - Matthew 23:37b(NKJV). Oh, how I have forsaken my Lord. He calls and calls to me, but I am too content with the apathetic life I lead. I'm too afraid to return to Him, for I know He will do great things in my life. Joshua felt the same way apparently. In Joshua 1, God, time after time, tells Joshua "I will be with you, I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5, 9) He tells him over and over again to "Be strong and of good courage" (Joshua 1:6, 9). In verse 7 God says,"Be strong and very courageous." Despite your fears, your flaws, your sins... Your God will NEVER leave you NOR forsake you. Ever. It really is that simple. It's His promise to you and I. To all generations. His love floods our lives everyday, but we're too busy to even notice it. Sad, huh? All that and He still loves us. "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:17(NKJV).

We turn away from Him and create our own idols. Placing God second, third, fourth, fifth on our list. Instead of taking away His love while we chase after other lovers, He never leaves us nor forsakes us. As in the story of Hosea, God commanded Hosea to to take a wife, but not just any woman was to be his wife. God told Hosea to take Gomer, a harlot, to be his wife. So he obeyed the command of the Lord. "For [Gomer] said, 'I will go after my lovers...' " And she did. She cheated on Hosea time and time again. Later... "I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better for me than now.' "

I find the Bible to be a whole love story. and not for the obvious reasons that are running through your head right now. Throughout the entire Old Testament all I ever see are the Israelites praising God for deliverance and then a split second later grumbling and complaining and cursing God to back to rejoicing over His mercy. God continually blessed His chosen people and they STILL rebelled. They STILL complained against Him! After all He did for them, they just were never satisfied. It was all temporary. When they crossed the Red Sea (escaping from Egypt), they praised God! Then when they arrived in the desert with no food or water (completely forgetting how powerful there God was! He had just parted the GIGANTIC Red Sea), they immediately begin to grumble and say how they would be better off in bondage instead of starving to death in the desert! Oh how quickly we forget the Lord's Providence!

And despite all these short comings, God forgave them. Every time. He never left them or forsook them. He loved them and showed compassion and mercy. All throughout the OT!! Every time I open up my Bible, I see some subtitle over a chapter saying "The Renewal of Israel" and "A Call to Repentance." Over and over again. He never leaves them. Now that is true love.

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; For love is as strong as death, Jealousy as cruel as the grave..." - Song of Solomon 8:6